Acute myeloid leukemia

Definition:

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is cancer that starts inside bone marrow. This is the soft tissue in the center of bones that helps form all blood cells. The cancer grows from cells that would normally turn into white blood cells.

Acute means the disease develops quickly and usually has an aggressive course.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most common types of leukemia among adults. This type of cancer is rare under age 40.

AML is more common in men than women.

Persons with this type of cancer have an abundance of abnormal immature cells inside their bone marrow. The cells grow very quickly, and replace healthy blood cells. The bone marrow, which helps the body fight infections and makes other blood components, eventually stops working correctly. Persons with AML are more likely to have infections and have an increased risk of bleeding as the numbers of healthy blood cells decrease.

Most of the time, a doctor cannot tell you what caused AML. However, the following things can lead to some types of leukemia, including AML:

If your doctor learns you do have this type of leukemia, further tests will be done to determine the specific type of AML. Subtypes are based on specific genetic changes or mutations and how the leukemia cells appear under the microscope.

Treatment:

Treatment involves using medicines (chemotherapy ) to kill the cancer cells. Most types of AML are treated the same way in the beginning, with more than one chemotherapy drug.

Chemotherapy kills normal cells, too. This may cause side effects such as:

You can ease the stress of illness by joining a cancer support group . Sharing with others who have common experiences and problems can help you not feel alone.

Outlook (Prognosis):

When a bone marrow biopsy shows no evidence of AML, you are said to be in remission. Complete remission occurs in most patients. How well you do depends on your overall health and the genetic subtype of the AML cells.

Remission is not the same as a cure. More therapy is usually needed, either in the form of more chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant.

With treatment, younger patients with AML tend to do better than those who develop the disease at an older age. The 5-year survival rate is much lower in older adults than younger persons. Experts say this is partly due to the fact that younger people are better able to tolerate strong chemotherapy medicines. Also, leukemia in older people tends to be more resistant to current treatments.

If the cancer does not come back (relapse) within 5 years of the diagnosis, you are likely cured.

When to Contact a Medical Professional:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you develop symptoms of AML.

Call your health care provider if you have AML and have a fever that will not go away or other signs of infection.

Prevention:

If you work around radiation or chemicals linked to leukemia, you should always wear protective gear.